We are in Toledo. Not the one in Ohio
Trip Start
May 12, 2009
1
5
52
Trip End
May 12, 2009
Toledo,
Castile-La Mancha,
Spain and Canary Islands
Monday, June 22, 2009
Now where do I start?
After Disneyland Paris, we spent a couple of days in Paris. Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Arc de Triumphe, Champs Elysees check - we did them all.
We also visited the sewers of Paris (they are very proud of their sewer system) and they smell like well I guess a sewer.
The Eiffel tower was very high.
Napoleon´s Arc was very triumphant.
We skulked around the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank, thinking leftist thoughts and buying subversive books for the kids.
Then we headed south, through the Loire and Dordogne valleys, touring various chateaus and castles and such. We decided to cut out Brittany and Mont St. Michel and the Isle d´yeu (sorry Steve - running out of time).
We crossed the Pyrenes on some minor road (the signs said 12% grade) which had our motorhome (now named Igor) down to 1st gear and overheating.
Spain is just really huge as it turns out. It looks kind of like New Mexico.
On the way to Madrid we decided that we had commited ourselves to far too much driving, and cut Portugaul out of the itinerary. Its just too far.
Madrid is a great, if hot city. We skipped into the Prado Museum (which is supposed to have really really long line-ups) without any waiting. We saw some great art. The kids enjoyed Hermonious Bosch´s Garden of Earthly Delights, though it is decidedly R-rated on close examination. Google it. That is one wierd painting. Russell thought that Mr. Bosch must have been enjoying some new herbs from the New World. I can´t help but agree.
We also saw lots of overweight naked women painted by Reubens. The ladies appeared Reubenesque, I guess. Nick was sorry that he had not brought some yellow stickies, to improve the general level of modesty.
There were Old Masters by the roomful - and there were really no crowds. We hit it exactly right, as we had the Louvre. No line ups at places that are supposed to be choked.
So now we are here in Holy Toledo, the place where the Spanish Catholics started to push the Moors out of Spain about 1000 years ago.
The cathedral was fantastic - and we are beginning to think of ourselves as connaisseurs, having visited Notre Dame in Paris, the church in Sarlat, and fine cathedrals in Amsterdam and Brugges.
So now it is southward to Seville.
But first, I need to dash out and swim!
Randy
